Selecting the Right Provider

Explore Your Options

Many people use the home care provider that they are referred to by their doctor. However, people can choose their own provider based on their needs and potential services. Here are a few criteria that should be considered when picking out a home care provider:

Geographic Location

Services Provided

Quality

Insurance Coverage

Geographic Location

Home care agencies cover every corner of Iowa, though in rural Iowa there may be only one or two agencies in an area. Start your search by seeing who will come to your house.

A list of Iowa home health agencies is listed by city here.

A list of private duty agencies is listed by city here.

Services Provided

Not all providers may have all the services that you want. For instance, one provider may offer a broader range of services, like wound care and occupational therapy but not offer something more specialized such as providing IV medications. Private duty providers may have some of the same issues, with one providing help in the home and a different agency providing transportation or errand services. In addition, you may need a separate company to provide oxygen or other medical equipment.

Make a list of the services you need and try to find a provider that offers as many of them as you can. While you may end up using more than one home care agency, planning ahead may save you trouble down the road.

Quality

Everyone wants to receive quality medical care. All health care providers who can take insurance from the government (such as Medicare) are regularly inspected by state and federal agencies.

The information from these inspections along with federally-required patient survey data ends up on the Medicare Compare website. On this website, which is overseen by Medicare, you can find and compare home health agencies based on zip code.

However, the website does not include agencies that provide solely personal care, or private duty, services. However, an internet search will often give you customer reviews.

Insurance

Home care is far less expensive than care provided in a long-term care or assisted living facility. All Iowa Alliance in Home Care providers of home health services take Medicare and can provide treatment that is the result of an accident and is being paid by a third party (such as worker’s compensation or a car insurance). However, not all health providers are in-network with every insurance company. In-network providers almost always cost patients less money than out-of-network providers, so check with your insurance company if the home health provider you would like to use is in-network.